July 29th News Roundup

Irish Women Make an Impressive First Impression

On Wednesday morning in Perth, Australia the Republic of Ireland Women’s National Team and Captain Katie McCabe made history at the Women’s World Cup by scoring their first-ever goal at their first ever World Cup within the first 4:00 minutes of the game. That is not the only reason it made history, the goal that McCabe scored was also the first time an ‘Olimpico’ goal was recorded at a Women’s World Cup match.

Never heard of an Olimpico? Same here. An Olimpico is a goal scored directly from a corner kick and is a rare feat due to the angle at which the ball is kicked. Congratulations to McCabe for achieving this impressive accomplishment at your first World Cup and in the rain and wind no less.

Although the Republic of Ireland is no longer in the World Cup due to the loss to Canada, they have a lot to be proud of. They held Australia to just one goal in their opening match and held Canada, the 2020 Olympic Gold Medalists to just a 2-1 score.

Well done, ladies!

Landmark Uillean Piper Album Released

Another group of women also made their mark with the release of the album Mná na bPíob Uilleann: Vol. 1 which features seven female Uilleann pipers showcasing their skills and talent.

The Uilleann pipes are technically the most sophisticated member of the bagpipe family. They have a sweeter, mellower tone than the highland bagpipes, and are musically much more flexible — hence their current use in a wide variety of music today ranging from rock to classical.

Throughout the Uilleann pipe odyssey, no matter which part of society they were played in, the instrument appears to have been the preserve of the male musician — probably more than any other part of Irish traditional music.

The album comprises twenty-one selections, with each contributor playing three tracks that demonstrate their individual styles and influences. The geographic spread is impressive — the pipers come across the globe: from Argentina to London, and of course from across Ireland.

The musicians include Rita Farrell and Marion McCarthy contribute tracks rooted in the tradition; Claire Fennell contributes tracks rooted in traditional piping repertoire; Pamela Schweblin introduces her pieces from a collection of Irish traditional music published in Buenos Aires; Muireann Ní Shé selects slip jigs from the 19th century Goodman collection; Maeve O’Donnell delivers a powerful rendition of An Bonnán Buí and includes two new compositions, showcasing her expertise in slow airs; Emer Mayock explores the manuscript tradition, drawing exclusively from music sources in her home county of Mayo.

Mná na bPíob Uilleann is the first commercial recording solely focused on unaccompanied women pipers.

Additional history about the Uillean pipes and the women’s musical influencers can be found at The Irish Post.

Shane McGowan on the Road to Recovery

On Monday, July 24^th Shane McGowan’s wife, Irish journalist Victoria Mary Clarke took to Twitter to share the happy news that McGowan who has been hospitalized in intensive care for an undisclosed illness is on the road to recovery. Over the past year, McGowan who is 65 has been hospitalized for shingles and encephalitis.

Victoria thanked everyone for the love and prayers and shared a selfie of the two smiling together from McGowan’s hospital bed.

McGowan is best known as the lead singer for the Celtic punk band The Pogues. He has also produced solo material and collaborated with artists Steve Earle and Sinéad O’Connor.

Sláinte Shane!

Dan Barry – Eugene O’Neill Lifetime Achievement Award

The Irish American Writers & Artists have announced longtime New York Times Journalist Dan Barry for the 2023 Eugene O’Neill Lifetime Achievement Award.

The award recognizes the contribution of an Irish American artist whose body of work places them among the great artists and entertainers of all time.

Dan Barry’s list of accomplishments is long and distinguished including sharing three Emmys for documentaries produced by the New York Times; a PEN/ESPN Award for Literary Sports Award for his book Bottom of the 33^rd: Hope, Redemption, and Baseball’s Longest Game (2011); and a Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting for exposing corruption in the Rhode Island court system.

Barry has also authored several books including Pull Me Up: A Memoir (2004); The Boys in the Bunkhouse: Servitude and Salvation in the Heartland (2016); and his most recent This Land: America, Lost and Found (2018).

As a journalist for the New York Times, Barry writes on topics including sports, culture, New York City, and the nation. He has covered major events, including the World Trade Center catastrophe, Hurricane Katrina, and the coronavirus pandemic, and wrote both the About New York and This Land column.

Dan was named as one Irish America’s Top 100 in 2011.

A graduate of St. Bonaventure University “Go Bonas!” Barry appears on the Jandoli School of Communication’s Wall of Distinguished Graduates, was named the school’s Alumnus of the Year in 1994, and received an honorary degree from the university in 2016.

The Eugene O’Neill Lifetime Achievement Award has been presented to a distinguished list of artists including Peter Quinn, Joanie Madden, Malachy McCourt, Pete Hamill, Judy Collins, Charlotte Moore, Ciarán O’Reilly, William Kennedy, Kate Mulgrew, John Patrick Shanley, Larry Kirwan, and Irish America’s own Patricia Harty.

Congratulations Dan!

Two Irish Americans and UPS

Not many know the history of UPS or how it got started. For most of us, when we think about UPS we are wondering if our packages have arrived.

UPS was founded by a tenacious young Irish American named James Emmet “Jim” Casey who quit school at the tender age of 11 and started working to help support his family. Jim’s father hailed from County Galway and his mother was the daughter of immigrants from County Cork.

Jim started out assisting a delivery driver who delivered packages for one of the department stores in Seattle, WA. In 1907, at the age of 19, partnering with a friend Jim borrowed $100 and started American Messenger Service in the basement of a Seattle Saloon. From those humble beginnings UPS (United Parcel Service) was born.

This summer we have heard a lot about UPS and not just the curious has my package arrived question. The 340,000 union workers employed by UPS were set to strike as of August 1^st if they could not reach an agreement.

In steps another Irish American, this time in the form of Sean O’Brien, General President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

O’Brien was also just a teenager when he got his start with the Teamsters Local 25 in Charlestown, MA as a truck driver at age 18, just like his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather before him.

Now serving as the head of the Teamsters, O’Brien stepped in to lead the negotiations and avoid a strike that had everyone, including the White House concerned. In what is being called a historic agreement, current full- and part-time UPS workers will get $2.75 more per hour in 2023, and $7.50 more per hour over the length of the contract.

UPS delivers 24.3 million packages per day, totaling 6.2 billion packages over the course of a year.

Jim Casey led UPS for 55 years and remained on the board until his death in 1983 at the age of 95. Many of the values and policies Jim instilled at UPS are still in place today, Jim believed in working with unions and taking care of employees, and he would be proud of the tentative agreement that has been reached between UPS and the Teamsters union.

Union members will vote to ratify the agreement beginning August 3^rd.